The main campus of The University of Tennessee (UT) is an outstanding source of educated workers, with particularly strong assets in business, logistics, engineering, science and technology. With an average enrollment of 26,400 students, UT was placed in the top one-third of national public universities, ranking 52nd among 164 public institutions by U.S. News and World Report.

• UT is classified as a Carnegie Foundation Research Institute, with over $250 million in external research funding.
• Many nationally and internationally recognized scholars and teachers are among UT’s 1,400 faculty members.
• The College of Business Administration is ranked No. 2 in the world by Transportation Journal for research done in the fields of supply chain and logistics.
• Major research programs exist in the fields of energy, polymer engineering, advanced and composite materials and biomedical and geological sciences.
• Top-ranked programs (according to U.S. News and World Report) include logistics, law, education, and civil engineering.
• Through the Science Alliance, a center of excellence in partnership with ORNL, UT is a world leader in theoretical and applied collaborative research.

Overall post-secondary education is available at 10 public and private four-year institutions in Knox County and the surrounding area. Four community colleges offer two-year, associate degree programs, and several vocational and technical institutions also serve the area.

Knox County operates 87 public schools, including 50 primary, elementary or intermediate, 14 middle, and 13 high schools, two vocational schools, and several special/adult education centers. Included in the total are five magnet schools offering enhanced arts and science curricula. Total enrollment in 2008 was 56,516. The system employs 4,088 teachers, with an average classroom ratio of one teacher for every 14 students. In addition to public education, there are 46 private and parochial schools offering elementary and secondary instruction in Knox County.